Saturday, June 27, 2009

I don't mean to be redundant but the weather for the month of June has been consistently wet. Yesterday was Long Island's 21st day of rain this month and there still is a week of June remaining on my calendar. While the weatherman on the TV attempts to hide his gleeful joy about setting "weather records" I am getting just a tad testy about being soggy. AND... the fact is not lost to me that the mosquitoes of July are already smiling with anticipation of the impending feast.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Fishing in the rain. The narrow stretch of water between Plum Island and Orient Point known as Plum Gut or The Race and has some of the strongest currents in the area. The fishing here is legendary as bait is funneled through the cut. On a sunny weekend the Race can be crowded with hopeful anglers.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Our escape to Newport was not an escape from the rain. Twenty out of the first twenty four days of June have been very soggy. Mushroom farmers and expat British citizens are most likely the happiest among us.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Orient Point/New London Ferry saves Long Islanders a lengthy white knuckle drive through the NYC bottleneck to New England. The ferry is a much more comfortable way to head East without traveling West ( check out a map!). During our recent trip to Rhode Island we may have beat the traffic but the wet weather came with us. (best in larger view)

Monday, June 22, 2009

More from New York City's National Historic cemetery...Attention to Green-Wood's Civil War graves and monuments is just one part of a 200 million dollar restoration fund. The fund is the result of private endowments that date to the mid-1800's. Experts at the site have developed new techniques for restoring oxidized marble anf for cleaning various types of granite. Interesting what one can learn in a cemetery!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Green-Wood Cemetery is 478 acres of park like rolling Brooklyn hills with the some of the best views in all of New York City. Established in 1838, the cemetery has always been more than just a cemetery. By the 1860's it was the second most popular tourist destination in the country (Niagara Falls claimed number one) seeing well over 500 thousand visitors a year. Even by today's population that is an astounding number. Green-Wood was the inspiration to create Central Park in Manhattan. The final resting place for numerous historical figures and having the largest collection of stately trees in New York, Green-Wood was declared a national treasure in 2006.The Civil War graves in this photo are part of an on-going project to find "lost" grave sites of Civil War vets and return them to the dignity that they deserve. At the start of the project volunteers estimated finding 500 graves, the actual number in currently in the thousands!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I've heard that prior to high camera shutter speeds it was argued that a race horse always had at least one hoof on the ground. Coming down the homestretch this guy seems to float above the track approaching the finish! (best in large view, click on image)

Monday, June 15, 2009

The NYRA and Belmont Racetrack's Sunday morning program runs through the month of June. The park opens it's gates free of charge for an early Sunday morning view of workouts and a glimpse of life at the track. The staff is very accommodating to photographers, the program runs from 6:45am to 9:30am. Breakfast is available in the clubhouse cafeteria for a nominal fee.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

It's early June and like clockwork the weekday ferries to Fire Island are filled with exuberant elementary students. Year end class trips to Sunken Forrest and Sailor's Haven are all the rage this time of year. Passing the ferry guarrantees cheerful greetings and arm waving from hundreds of little people who are just thrilled to not have to go to math class! We must be getting close to summer...

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Still beached and firmly entrenched the 40 foot "Gwaihir" was not going anywhere yesterday afternoon. The salvage crew worked all day digging only to watch the tide return much of the sand to the underside of the hull.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

We read the story in the paper and just had to check it out for ourselves. Seems as if the crew of this sailboat was en route from Virginia to Rhode Island when someone tacked a bit too far to the Starboard in a thick fog. The 40 foot racing hull has been hard aground for a few days now, a salvage crew was preparing things for an attempt to pull her off the beach later this week.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Like a vintage baseball card. A little experimentation with film grain and sepia treatment gave this shot an antique look to match the scene. The larger view appears to have a grainy/older photograph type of texture.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Proof that third base has always been the "hot corner" since the days of Abner Doubleday! Old Bethpage Village is the perfect venue for vintage baseball, the entire area is a living museum and has the look and feel of the 1800's.